It’s unfortunate just how often we see airline employees showing absolutely no care when handling the belongings of passengers. The latest such viral situation is especially bad, if you ask me (thanks to @pir8z40 for flagging this)…
In this post:
Bags thrown down stairs on Cathay Pacific flight
Video footage is going viral of a Cathay Pacific ground agent doing a very poor job with handling bags. Specifically, she seems to have about half a dozen bags on stairs that are connected to the jet bridge, which need to get down to the apron.
Rather than walking them down, she instead literally throws them down the stairs, and they go tumbling. My guess is that these were gate checked bags, since they all seem to be carry-on size, and they’re coming from the jet bridge.
For that matter, it’s possible that this woman wasn’t actually a baggage handler, but rather was an “above wing” ground agent, who needed to get the bags down to baggage handlers in a rush.
It’s not clear at which airport this happened, though we can see that the flight was operated by a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER with the registration code B-KQY. The jet last flew from Vancouver (YVR) to Hong Kong (HKG) on July 14, 2024. So I wonder if this may have happened on departure in Vancouver, or on a previous flight.
Let me of course acknowledge that baggage handlers and ground agents are largely not working directly for the airline, but rather sometimes work for third party contractors. Still, passengers choose to fly specific airlines, and airlines should be setting the standard for the services provided. Furthermore, the agent is even wearing a Cathay Pacific vest.
Cathay Pacific is now conducting an investigation into the incident, given that this breaches the carrier’s policy for handling bags. The employee in question has been reassigned for the time being, until an investigation is complete.
Do airport employees not realize they’re being watched?
Let me start by acknowledging that many contracted airline employees working at airports have tough jobs — they’re under time pressure, their jobs are physically demanding, they work in some extreme weather conditions, and they’re certainly not the best paid people in the airline industry. Furthermore, they don’t get much recognition, since many of them aren’t customer facing.
That being said, I can’t help but be both disappointed and confused by how often we see these kinds of incidents:
- Do employees not realize that they’re being watched from both the terminal and from the aircraft? They act as if they’re working in complete privacy
- Do some people not have a basic desire to follow the golden rule, and treat other peoples’ bags the way they would want their own bags to be treated?
While it’s common for baggage handlers to maybe not handle bags delicately, only a small minority of people are this careless. But still, when you’re working in public and as part of a team, I don’t understand how this is allowed to happen.
A few months ago, a baggage handling video went viral for a completely different reason. One baggage handler is seen handling bags rather recklessly, and then a supervisor approaches and “coaches” her. That’s the baggage handling hero we need.
Bottom line
Video footage is going viral of a Cathay Pacific representative throwing bags down a set of stairs. It appears to me that these may be gate checked bags, based on how they’re being transported from the jet bridge to the cargo hold. You’d certainly hope that airline employees would handle personal belongings with more care.
The worker in question has now been reassigned for the time being, and the airline has issued an apology and is conducting an investigation.
What do you make of this Cathay Pacific baggage handling situation?
This problem is created by mismanagement. The absence of people designated and tasked for the job is absent. A scapegoat is tasked to do this menial job which is not within the scope of employment of this staff.
Reminds me when you are packing fragile items or liquids in your suitcase about keeping in mind how the bags may be handled.
My assumption is that there is not a clear path of whom is responsible for transporting heavy gate checked bags. I do not condone this behavior but I guess the gate agents feel that carrying heavy bags is not their job.
BTW, this is why I verbally fight for my rights such as when a gate agent (LH at FRA) demanded I check a bag that fits into the sizer at the gate. I...
My assumption is that there is not a clear path of whom is responsible for transporting heavy gate checked bags. I do not condone this behavior but I guess the gate agents feel that carrying heavy bags is not their job.
BTW, this is why I verbally fight for my rights such as when a gate agent (LH at FRA) demanded I check a bag that fits into the sizer at the gate. I am a Jew and I mentioned that I will no longer be picked on by people like him. He attempted to get me to use the word N-ZI (illegal) while in front of a law enforcement agent at the gate. I did not fall for his tricks but he still threatened me. Checked bags arrived at EWR 2 hours after touchdown, LH was in the process of switching ground luggage handlers and passengers were made to suffer.
This is why I use Pelican Air trunks as suitcases. Stupid heavy. If you zip tie the lock slots closed, the trunk will probably make it through a hull loss event.
This is why I say checked bags are objectively a scam.
You are quite literally paying money for your baggage to be delayed, stolen, or destroyed.
Crazy how airlines get to monetize this and offer it as a "perk" for status and credit cards.
As a business owner and chef that has a fair few restaurants around the Asia and Europea, by legacy or habit or quality, I still travel with my knives when I do QA visits and attend events.
How do you suppose someone avoid check luggage with a full set of knives that frankly I'd rather no one have in their hand carry (including me)?
There is a geniune reason sometimes for checked luggage...
As a business owner and chef that has a fair few restaurants around the Asia and Europea, by legacy or habit or quality, I still travel with my knives when I do QA visits and attend events.
How do you suppose someone avoid check luggage with a full set of knives that frankly I'd rather no one have in their hand carry (including me)?
There is a geniune reason sometimes for checked luggage despite the fact that the treatment sometimes are not optimal.
Also, the staff there did wrong, but don't forget HK is one of the crappiest places to work as a labourer, they work for next to nothing and places they can afford as rent is probably a shared place that affords them about 200sqft (if they're lucky). It doesn't justify their behaviour, just a frame of reference.
It's the paying for it aspect that's problematic.
You're anyways already paying airlines hundreds and thousands of dollars for your ticket. The fact that they monetize this aspect and handle it so poorly is the scam.
Of course you need to check your bags, but would you be happy to pay $100 for them to destroy your luggage? The whole point is that you're paying them money to handle it safely and properly.
You Sir/Maam need Pelican Cases
You get what you pay for. I'm guessing this is a third-party contractor who could care less about her job or passengers bags.
Sadly, this was in Hong Kong (the HKIA logo can be seen on the ground equipment) and the staff is wearing a Cathay Pacific vest (these wouldn’t be issued to subcontractor ground handling staff). So, this is likely a Cathay staff. That said, post pandemic, they’re paying peanuts to even their own staff and having trouble recruiting and maintaining staff.
Perhaps additional training is needed.
In this case, they can throw her down the stairs at the end of her shift.
Don't a lot of these kind of air bidges have a slider ramp to send bags down? This one does not and that is a lot of stairs and a lot of luggage for one person to deal with. Plus it looks like this employee already brought the luggage down one flight of stairs and there is no weight limit I am sure on these carry on bags.
Do not blame the employees. This is...
Don't a lot of these kind of air bidges have a slider ramp to send bags down? This one does not and that is a lot of stairs and a lot of luggage for one person to deal with. Plus it looks like this employee already brought the luggage down one flight of stairs and there is no weight limit I am sure on these carry on bags.
Do not blame the employees. This is a phycal job most people would not sign up to do. They are I am sure underpaid and struggling financially. If they get fired from this job they can most likely get another job that pays the same easily. I also bet the turnover at these kind of jobs is huge.
You should assume your luggage will get handled in a rough way.
First world problem
"You should assume your luggage will get handled in a rough way."
No, we don't assume that our luggage will be thrown down stairs. Hopefully only your luggage is treated this way, conforming with your expectations.
"First world problem"
So? That doesn't mean it's not a problem.
"This is a [sic] phycal job most people would not sign up to do. They are I am sure underpaid and struggling financially. If they get fired from this job they can most likely get another job that pays the same easily."
@Jill barrymore, In a world that you describe where this hypothetical individual seemingly has many job prospects, and with each paying the same, why did they choose to be a baggage handler if...
"This is a [sic] phycal job most people would not sign up to do. They are I am sure underpaid and struggling financially. If they get fired from this job they can most likely get another job that pays the same easily."
@Jill barrymore, In a world that you describe where this hypothetical individual seemingly has many job prospects, and with each paying the same, why did they choose to be a baggage handler if it was so physically intensive? What is the loss (to society and this individual) if they get fired for poor performance? They just pick-up Monday morning, somewhere else.
I have given my best and done my job my whole life no matter what level of pay. Being a hardworking and honest employee is how you move up and make more money in more important positions. This has nothing to do with pay, it has to do with laziness, culture and respect. To make excuses is a joke and anyone who does not think so are probably of the same type as this lady....
I have given my best and done my job my whole life no matter what level of pay. Being a hardworking and honest employee is how you move up and make more money in more important positions. This has nothing to do with pay, it has to do with laziness, culture and respect. To make excuses is a joke and anyone who does not think so are probably of the same type as this lady. Beside the fact that they do actually make pretty good money for a non skilled position. If they do not like it then maybe they should educate themselves, work harder and show some level of work ethic to put themselves in a better position in life.
I always thought the sliders were just for trash bags. TIL!
Cathay Pacific spokesperson indicates they were conducting new product testing for Samsonite...
Add it to the list of why I hate checking a bag.
Gate-checking them too in this case - you assume your bag is right next to the cargo hold and won't get lost. So you relax.....however seems safer to send them thru baggage handling back in the terminal where there are no stairs between drop-off and plane.
Unbelievable